Ecstatic Dance: Where Meditation Meets Movement

BY SOFO ARCHON

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” ~Jalaluddin Rumi

Dancing as Meditation

When most people hear the word meditation, what immediately comes to mind is someone sitting silently in a lotus posture, counting their breath or observing their thoughts. To enter a meditative state, however, one doesn’t need to be physically passive, as the image above might suggest.

There are physically active ways to do that, though most people on the spiritual path are unaware of them. These include running and martial arts—Kyudo, the Japanese art of archery, being a notable example—with arguably the most potent one being dance.

For ages, shamans and mystics have harnessed the power of dance to calm the mind’s endless stream of thoughts, delve deep into consciousness, and discover inner peace. To reach such heights of awareness through dance, one must first enter a state of ecstasy—a word that comes from the Greek ekstasis, meaning “to be outside oneself.” In the words of therapist Bradford Keeney:

“This refers to an exaltation or transformation of ordinary consciousness to a state in which there is a heightened capacity for experience. Synonymous with intense joy and delight, ecstasy suggests emotions so intense that one is carried beyond rational thought and self-control. Ecstasy points to a state of frenzy, rapture, and hyperexcitement.”

I was blessed to have a recent experience that proved profoundly spiritual and transformative. Here’s how it all unfolded.

My Ecstatic Dancing Experience

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I decided to spend some time dancing—not as a means of meditation, but simply to feel more alive and express ourselves through movement. In the past, I had experimented with mindful dance practices, such as Sufi whirling and dynamic meditation, but this time, achieving a meditative state wasn’t part of our plan at all.

Before we began, we prepared a playlist of our favorite dance songs, lasting about 60 minutes. Then, barefoot and with most of our clothes removed, we closed the windows, turned the music up loud, and jumped straight onto the dance floor—well, the sitting room in our apartment.

In the beginning, our bodies were tense, and our movements didn’t flow with the rhythm of the music. Dancing felt a little awkward, since neither of us knew much about dancing and had never taken any dance classes. Yet, slowly, we began to loosen up until, eventually, our bodies took over, and we surrendered to the overwhelming power of dance.

The more I danced, the more it felt as if I were merging with the dance—until, at some point, I became one with it. Or, to be more precise, I was the dance. For a few moments, the ego vanished—it had disappeared into thin air. I was ecstatic. In those exhilarating moments, I felt as fully present, as aware, and as alive as I had during my two-hour Zazen practice. I felt utterly calm, tranquil, and content. A sense of fulfillment overcame me, a completeness that words cannot capture.

Of course, anyone observing me from the outside would have thought I was completely insane. I was jumping, shaking, jerking—as if possessed by an uncontrollable entity moving me beyond my will. Yet inside, I was still, silent, serene. I was aware of the movement at the periphery, but at the center of my being, I remained unmoved and undisturbed.

Discovering the Power of Dance

If you’re interested in meditation, I’d highly recommend giving a few intense dancing sessions a try. And if you’re worried that you can’t dance well, trust me—it doesn’t really matter. What matters is pouring the totality of your being into the movement.

As I mentioned before, my girlfriend and I don’t know much about dancing, and we certainly don’t consider ourselves good at it. If a professional dancer had the chance to watch us, they would probably think we were two silly people with absolutely no idea what we were doing—simply wasting our time in a childish attempt to show off to each other. The reality, however, is that we didn’t care about learning particular moves or impressing anyone. We just wanted to spontaneously express ourselves and feel energized through the act of dancing.

When you decide to dance, be sure not to force yourself into specific movement patterns. Instead, let go of controlling your body and allow it to guide you. Don’t intellectualize the process—simply enjoy it playfully, as you did when dancing to your favorite songs as a child, without aiming for any particular goal. Once you rediscover the joy of dancing, you’ll soon be carried away by the energy of the dance. Having surrendered to it, you may enter a state of ecstasy and, naturally—without any effort on your part—dive into a deep, meditative state that can have a profound and lasting effect on your psyche.

Even if you don’t reach those ecstatic, meditative moments, you’ll still gain a lot from your dance. For one, dancing is fun and can easily put a big smile on your face. Additionally, it’s an excellent form of exercise—it’s good for your heart, strengthens your body, and improves balance and coordination. Most importantly, dancing can serve as a form of catharsis: it helps to purify the mind and heart, restore emotional equilibrium, and reduce stress.

As you can see, dancing can be immensely beneficial in many ways. The great thing is that you can do it almost anywhere, using nothing but your body—and perhaps some good music!

So, what are you waiting for? Go dance like there’s no tomorrow!